Exploring the History, Literature, and Culture of the Tar Heel State

Sand ‘compatible’ in eye of beholder (or stakeholder)?

“In North Carolina, which has laws requiring ‘compatible’ sand for artificial beaches, there have been artificial beaches that are rocky (Oak Island), shelly (Emerald Isle), full of construction debris (Holden Beach) and muddy (Atlantic Beach)….

“In all cases… government failed to halt the emplacement of poor-quality sand. In the rush to save beachfront property, it seems anything goes.”

— From “The World’s Beaches: A Global Guide to the Science of the Shoreline” by Orrin H. Pilkey, William J. Neal, James Andrew Graham Cooper and Joseph T. Kelley (2011)